Charlie Ross brings his one-man Star Wars and Lord of The Rings show to Edmonton International Fringe Festival

During his first time at Edmonton’s Fringe Fest in ’94, entertainer Charlie Ross noticed something. The company he was with, composed of five people, had a much larger overhead and made less money, naturally, than the solo acts.

So, Ross and his friend from a different company set about making a one-man show, eventually deciding that film history — from Casablanca to Dirty Dancing, Ross recalls — would be their subject. However, they hit a bit of a snag.

“I could honestly not make a five-minute bit that encapsulated all of Star Wars — I just found myself writing more and more and more, to the point where my original treatment of Star Wars was 25 minutes long,” Ross says.

This was the beginning of Ross’ signature — comedic, one-man representation of popular, yet geeky, film series. He currently has two of these in the bag (Star Wars and Lord of The Rings), and will be performing them at this year’s Edmonton Fringe Festival.

There was no “eureka moment” for the idea behind these acts — in a way they were a longtime in the making. Ross was an avid fan of nerd fare (though, it wasn’t quite as nerdy back then) during his drama- and theatre-driven youth in British Columbia. Moreover, he has a knack for mimicry.

“It’s like an eight-year-old kid, but he’s trapped in a 38-year-old body — that’s me, you know, on stage, pretending to be everybody,” says Ross.

“Some voices I do better than others. I’m pretty good at sound effects. I’ve always been good at that. I have no idea why.”

The hardest part in these performances is the shifting makeup of the audience. From country to country, some erstwhile funny words, etc, fall flat — like “bum” versus “butt” in United States, Ross explains, giving an admittedly simple example.

Attendance of Ross’ shows are usually split three ways between “super nerds,” “soft fans,” and people shy away from fandom entirely.

“For me, that is another interesting challenge, because to do a show for a bunch of hard-core Star Wars nerds is like preaching to the choir,” Ross says.

“I’m trying to make the show for them as much as I’m trying to draw in people who don’t know these movies very well.”

So far, three main cast members from Lord of the Rings have seen Ross perform. Sir. Ian McKellen (Gandalf) saw his back in 2004, which was a shock to Ross who had studied the thespian’s career while attending the University of Victoria. Billy Boyd (Pippin) and Dominic Monaghan (Merry) attending a show last February.

If this is any indication, Ross is successful in making a show that can please almost any audience.

“They think that people who love these things — they’re so protective about it that they don’t want everybody else to touch it. But I don’t think that’s right. I think that they do want to have a laugh at Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, because they love it.”

His shows run at different times during Fringe Fest, but all take place at Sugarfoot Ballroom,10545 81 Ave. Visit fringetheatreadventures.ca.